Chaos at Mearns school gates

Gillian Loney

The first week back at school has been causing headaches for Mearns Primary parents in particular as badly parked cars cause chaos at the school gates.

Traffic was brought to a halt outside the busy school last Thursday when of a car parked on a corner blocked access for a school bus.

A spokeswoman for East Renfrewshire Council said: “There was a car parked which caused an issue for a school bus. A small number of cars were parked inappropriately.”

She added: “Back to school day is always a busier than usual time, with additional family members coming along to see their children off to school.”

But parents complain that the problem extends beyond a busy first day back.

Mum-of-three and childminder Valerie Paton told The Extra: “It’s been an ongoing situation for years.

“For me, it kicked off when I was using the zebra crossing with four children and a big BMW was waiting. He was revving his engine and then he was off, before the wee ones were even on the pavement.

“There are numerous drivers who are extremely inconsiderate and ignorant of road safety, especially when there are hundreds of children at school rush hours. It’s an accident waiting to happen.”

Valerie has set up a petition proposing additional yellow lines on Hunter Drive and road markings on Fairweather Place, as well as contacting councillors and Newton Mearns Community Council.

Another parent — who asked not to be named — agreed: “Stopping for drop offs are dangerous enough but the cars are abandoned at times. Parking on corners, zig zags, cycle lanes — you name it, it’s done.”

The council representative responded that the school’s early entry system — allowing pupils to arrive from 8.45am — started on Monday, to “help alleviate any issues”.

She added: “We would urge members of the public to park and drive responsibly and respect parking restrictions around schools. This is regularly highlighted in newsletters and our primary schools have road safety teams who work to get the message across.

“The safety of our children is a priority and we would ask everyone to work with us on this.”